Fall Away
by aBraveNewShip
Summary: When Emma makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Regina, she finally says those three words that she's been holding back. And now that she's gone, Regina does everything in her power to bring Emma back. The Queen finds out she needs the Savior more than she realizes. Post 4X23, post the S4 finale. SwanQueen
1. Chapter 1

So. This was it. This is how it all ended. After everything they'd just been through, everything they'd survived, this is where fate had brought them. It seemed as though no matter how hard Emma and Regina fought to claw their way out of the worlds of darkness they'd both been in, life always caught up to them. Their good deeds and heroic acts weren't enough to shield them from this moment. Try as they might, the two most powerful women in the entire land were defenseless. They were out of options. And more importantly, they were out of time.

Regina stood in the middle of the street, engulfed by blackness. It wanted her. It targeted the person with the darkest past, the easiest to pull back into the realm of evil. With such a strong grasp, it was nearly impenetrable. Regina could feel all of the light being absorbed from her system, all of the good she'd spent years trying to achieve. It was cold and suffocating. It was endless and blinding. The only person she could see was Emma, who was the only one brave enough to approach her. With the infamous dagger in her left hand, the blonde took one step after the other, her hair blowing in her face as she got closer. Regina needed help; she needed saving.

"Emma, no!" Regina felt herself growl.

"There's no other way! This isn't your happy ending! I'm not going to let you ruin everything you've worked for!" Emma roared back, screaming above the whirring of the dark forces.

Her arms bound at her sides and her legs locked in position, Regina had very few choices in this situation. She'd lived a dark existence for decades; she knew what that felt like, what it does to a person. Emma didn't. Emma was the Savior; she wasn't meant to be evil. She wouldn't be able to handle it— not like Regina could. If she refused, Regina knew Emma was right: her happy ending wouldn't be the same. If she refused and let the darkness consume her once more, Regina's future was just as bleak as once had been.

However, if she gave in— if she gave in and the darkness took ahold of Emma, then Regina would finally have what she'd always wanted: a life free from evil. She'd finally get her happy ending and all would be right with the world. But that wasn't true. Not really. Yes, she'd live happily every after with the man who was supposedly her soul mate, but it wouldn't be right. Something— someone would always be missing. And it would've been Regina's fault.

In the midst of her thinking, Regina felt the darkness tighten its grip on her and her airway began to close. The Forces spun faster and made it more difficult to see Emma. Regina saw a shiny metal object rise into the air and she knew it was too late. "Emma, wait—"

"You take care of Henry!" Emma shouted over the thunderous crackling. "Take care of my family!" Soon, the Forces loosened around Regina as they sensed another host to overthrow. One by one, they released the brunette and reached across the short distance, surrounding Emma with black tentacles. As it unwound from the Queen, it trapped the Savior inside of its small vortex. In a matter of seconds, the roles had been reversed: Regina was now free from the clutches of evil, yet again, and Emma was fighting to survive. Before the Forces completely overpowered Emma, there was a moment of silence between the women. Their eyes met through the tangled mess Rumplestiltskin had started and in that instant, they knew. Regina saw that look in Emma's green eyes, that same one the blonde gave Henry and her parents. She knew what it meant and now, she was on the other end.

"I _will_ fix this!" Regina promised, tears gathering and the vein in her forehead throbbing. "I'll find a way!"

"I know you will," Emma assured from inside of the whirlpool. Her eyes were getting heavy the harder she fought the darkness. Piece be piece, it infiltrated her body and attacked all of the light that was left inside of her. But, before it could devour the last bit, Emma stared straight at Regina and said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "I love you." And with that, when the darkness had gotten what it wanted, the Forces lifted Emma into the air and enveloped her in a cloud of blackness. Bright light shot out from cracks in the shroud, Emma's magic attempting to fight back. But it was useless. There was no point.

Desperate cries from Snow and Charming, and Henry and Hook filled the empty streets. Robin Hood was unable to do anything but stand back and watch, his face contorted in a confused expression. Meanwhile, Regina watched in horror as the only true friend she'd ever had and the only person she could really trust was destroyed by the darkness.

After a few seconds, the swirling blackness began to fade. The strike of Emma's light magic ceased and the cloud dissipated. A rattling clang echoed around the group as the dagger fell to the concrete. Emma was nowhere to be seen. All that was left was the blade. And it had her name on it.

* * *

Regina Mills lead the charge. Followed (in order) by Henry, the Charmings, Hook (he was processing), and a still-puzzled Robin Hood, she barged into Gold's Pawn Shop with a murderous look in her eyes. She carried the dagger behind her back, unsure yet of the safest place to stash it. Right now, all she cared about was getting Emma back.

"Regina, wait—"

With a simple flick of her wrist, Regina sent Belle soaring across the room, unsatisfied until she heard the sound of crashing antiques in the back office. Undoing the preservation spell Henry had informed her the Apprentice enacted, the Queen knelt down beside Rumplestiltskin and slapped his face several times; she nudged him with her knee and waited for him to wake up. When he didn't budge, she turned to another method. "David, your gun," she requested. Not a single remark of protest came from either David or Snow. They wanted their daughter back, no matter what the price was. "Henry, don't look," Regina instructed.

Pointing the barrel at one of Gold's legs, Regina never hesitated to pull the trigger. The shot rang through the small store and was soon followed by the agonizing and very awake howling from the former Dark One. A dark pool of blood started to form beneath his left kneecap, his hands instinctively applying pressure to the wound.

"Regina?!" the aging wizard whimpered. "What've you done?!" he begged, his chin quivering in pain.

"You don't speak unless spoken to, do you understand?" Regina snarled ferociously, her finger still resting on the trigger. "Right now, I'm the only one who can heal you, so unless you want another cane, you're going to tell us what we want to know!"

A hoarse voice addressed the heroes, one attached to a human form that was barely alive. "He doesn't have the answers you seek," the Apprentice said. Turning on the bearded man faster than she could rip out Rumplestiltskin's heart, Regina stomped up to the Apprentice, armed and ready. "It has taken her, has it not?" he asked. "The Dark One?"

"Where did she go?" Regina growled.

Blinking slowly, still weak from his own encounter with the forces, the Apprentice licked his lips and spoke very deliberately. "Even the Savior can't win every battle— especially the Savior."

Her nostrils flaring and her ears expelling smoke, Regina resisted the urge to aim the gun at the already-frail wizard. "Just tell us where she went! Where did it take her?"

His eyes glassy and his skin pale, the Apprentice gazed up at Regina and said, "Somewhere only Emma knows. The place where it all began."

"The Enchanted Forest?"

"Her apartment in New York?"

"Tallahassee?"

Everyone started throwing out their best guesses. They thought about everything Emma had told them, everything they knew about her. Something in the stories she'd shared or in the life she'd lead before Storybrooke had to be the key. It had to be there.

Regina's mind was racing a mile a second. All she could think about was Emma's face before she disappeared… and what she'd said to Regina. And Regina was furious with the blonde for leaving like that. How could she just drop a bomb and then evaporate into thin air? It wasn't right! It wasn't fair! Regina was going to find Emma, get the darkness out of her, and then kill her for doing this to her.

"You," Regina seethed as she gave David his gun back. "Get up." With David and Hook pulling his arms, Gold hobbled onto his good leg— or rather, the one that didn't have a bullet lodged in it. Regina bent down slightly and held her hand over the injury. Using the light magic she knew she had, she extracted the bullet before healing him, just to hear him scream. With a graceful maneuver, Regina easily fixed what she'd broken. She needed Gold, and she needed him in one piece. "You owe us," she said menacingly. "Whatever we need, you're going to give it to us, no strings attached."

Having returned to the man he once was, Rumplestiltskin was in no position to bargain or threaten anyone anymore. "As you wish, Your Majesty," he said bitterly.

Stepping forward from the back of the room, Robin Hood cleared his throat and spoke for the first time. "Regina, think about you're doing. You can't just jump into this. You don't know what could happen. This could be far more dangerous than anything you've ever done."

"I'll take my chances," the brunette dismissed, already raiding the store for anything that could be helpful.

"I'm serious," Robin said through gritted teeth. "This isn't some sort of game you can win. You saw what that thing did." With everyone else concentrating on Emma's return, he was the only one who's head was elsewhere. "You'd risk your life for her?"

Setting her jaw and narrowing her eyes, Regina glared at Robin with enough heat to burn down all of Storybrooke. She advanced on him like a lion stalking its prey, no longer like a woman who was madly in-love. For the first time, she was seeing him for what he truly was: a coward. He sounded just like Zelena had after the wedding, right after Regina had been wounded: jealous and pathetic. "Emma sacrificed her soul for mine. There's no way in hell I'm going to turn my back on her now."

"No. Just on me, then?" When Regina didn't attempt to deny it, Robin Hood pinched his brow together and let the news sink in. His forehead went from wrinkled to smooth and his disappointment turned into acceptance. "Fine," he said. "You do what you need to do. Be a hero."

As the thief she once wished to spend every waking moment of every day walked away and out of her life, Regina felt nothing. Perhaps it was her adrenaline. Perhaps it was the shock of it all. Or, perhaps it was the fact that at this point in time, all she could think about was getting Emma back. "Anyone else wish to bow out?" Regina asked the group. "Because if so, you'd better do it now rather than later. I might not be as forgiving then."

Against his better judgement, the heart-broken pirate made a snap decision. It was over for him. He had no reason to fight. Now that he understood why Emma never said it back, he no longer had any loyalties. "You seem to have it all covered," Hook mumbled, wanting nothing more than to drown in a bottle of whiskey. "I'm a pirate, not a soldier."

As yet another man hobbled out of Gold's shop, Regina scanned the three people who were left— the three people she knew would never leave no matter what. There was a determination in all of them. And although it was quickly dwindling, there was a sense of hope. That was all they needed, really.

Putting a hand on Henry's shoulder, Regina turned to David and Snow and gave them a terse nod. "Let's find Emma."

* * *

 **A/N** \- DAMMIT OUAT. Every time I tell myself I'm going to stop watching, they go and do something like tonight's finale and I'm stuck where I am. This is probably a little dangerous since I still have two other stories in progress; however, I don't envision this being a very long fic. A couple chapters, really. I just need to get this out of my head because otherwise, I'll regret not writing it. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Henry called it Operation Lighthouse. In the beginning, they were unstoppable. Between Regina and Snow White and Prince Charming, they were all a force to be reckoned with. No one dared to stand in their way, no matter how reckless their methods may have been. The only person who could have stopped them no longer had magic. The heroes had all but taken residence in Gold's Pawn Shop; it's where they'd originally set up camp. Although Regina's crypt felt more like home to her, Gold's store contained many powerful tokens and helpful resources.

At first, it was only the four of them. While she ran herself ragged searching all of the books in Gold's shop, Regina had given David and Snow a list of names to contact; people whose combined powers with hers could possibly help them bring Emma back. David and Snow shuddered at some of the folks that Regina had thought of, but if there was any chance that they could help find their daughter, they were willing to take the risk.

A week went by and nothing happened. There was no sign of Emma anywhere. Regina had gone through three spell books and two potions manuals, and still, her efforts were futile. Not only had her own magic failed her, but none of the people on the list she'd given the Charmings were willing to help. Either Regina or Rumplestiltskin had screwed them over too many times before and none of them were able to find any good in their hearts, not even for Emma. The hole that these evil ones had dug themselves would have to be mended on their own.

Another week passed, and once again, they were met with disappointment. Regina had immersed herself in this work, making time for little else. She snapped at anyone and everyone, she never listened to Henry or the Charmings, and she could have sworn, she felt a piece of her heart turn black as she did whatever was necessary to locate Emma. Regina hadn't gone on such a power-binge in months; her system wasn't used to being so exhausted. With every spell she enacted and every charm she attempted, her energy depleted a little more. Bags began to form under her eyes and her cheeks became gaunt and pale. Regina was buried knee deep in her desperation; the more magic she used, the deeper she dug her own grave.

When two months had gone by and the Savior was still God-knows-where, Regina was no longer Regina. She never slept. She never ate. She never said a word of English unless it was written in a book four centuries ago. Every day that came to an end and Emma still wasn't there, Regina couldn't breathe. It was as if there were two hands clamped around her lungs and another holding her heart, squeezing it, crushing it. She was slowly dying inside, withering away. There was a fire in her eyes, the kind that everyone ran from; the kind that everyone had feared back in the Enchanted Forest. It was as if the Evil Queen had returned. No one wanted to be around her. Some days, even Regina didn't want to be around her. She no longer recognized the woman she was, only the woman she had once been.

David and Snow had taken to watching for Henry while his mother spent every waking second searching in agony for his other mother. As much as they wanted Emma back, someone had to be looking out for Henry. Just like the boy, they'd heard what Emma had said to Regina before she'd been taken away. It was the last thing she'd said to anyone. And while they didn't understand it, they also didn't question it. They could only cross one bridge at a time. Whatever was going on, David and Snow only knew one thing: they trusted Regina now more than ever. They had to trust that she would bring Emma back to them. There was no one else who could.

* * *

"She needs help," Snow said as she lifted Neal from his booster seat and rested him on her hip. "She's going to kill herself looking for answers. We can't keep putting it all on her."

David and Henry sat at the dining room table with their heads in their hands, helpless. For David, his daughter was missing and there was nothing he could do about it. For Henry, both of his mothers were basically gone and he didn't have the power to bring them back. They weren't pouting, per se, but they weren't exactly jumping for joy.

"Regina can handle it," David dismissed dryly. "She's Regina." As if that were reason enough, he got up from his chair, practically kicking it over, and made a bee-line for the door. However, not without checking for his badge and gun before.

Juggling Neal in one arm and lunch with the other, Snow huffed impatiently and yelled out to Charming across the room. "And just where do you think you're going?"

Checking to see how many rounds he had loaded, David clicked the barrel and stuffed his revolver in his holster. "Where do you think?" he asked tersely. "To find our daughter."

Slamming the door behind him, David disappeared just as quickly as Emma had. The sudden noise sent Neal into a panic and the baby began bawling. Henry witnessed as his grandmother did her best to tend to his uncle, all the while keeping a stiff upper lip herself. "Want me to go after him?" he offered boldly.

"No, no," Snow shook her head, dabbing her corner of her eye with the back of her hand. "He won't get very far. I put blanks in his gun when he wasn't looking," she whispered. Soon, Neal began to settle down, even going so far as to fall asleep. Careful of his head, Snow set him in his cradle, thankful to have both hands back at her disposal. "He's just scared, you know," she started, still thinking about David. "He doesn't like it when he can't charm his way out of something. He likes— he needs to feel useful."

Henry could hear the quavering in Snow's voice and he could see that she was swallowing the tears that wanted to escape. He knew what that felt like to try and act brave. He knew what it was like to try and act normal, like your world wasn't crashing down around you. Hell, Henry was doing it right then. "I miss her too," he said quietly. "But you know my mom. She's strong. She'll make it."

"I know," Snow said, mostly to reassure herself than Henry. With a final sigh, the pixie-haired woman wrapped up the sandwich she'd made in a napkin, placed it in a plastic bag, and fetched a bottle of water out from the refrigerator. "Henry, will you watch Neal for a little bit? I'll be right back."

* * *

"Dammit!" Regina hissed, stamping her foot against the ground, dissatisfied at the latest failed attempt. She slammed the spell book shut and coughed as millions of dust particles clustered around her nose. That was the seventh incantation in just two hours. So far, Regina was batting zero.

Tossing the last text onto the floor, Regina picked up the next in the pile she'd gathered. None-too-gently, she thumbed through the brown, water-damaged pages and skimmed the contents. Very few spells existed to serve the needs she currently had, but they were worth the try. The worst that could happen would just be that it didn't work.

"Regina? Regina, are you here?"

Coming out from the back room with her nose in a book, the older woman never bothered to look up. "Snow?" she greeted distractedly. "I can't talk right now, I'm busy."

Walking up to her former-step-mother, Snow White apprehensively set a brown paper bag on top of the counter and folded her hands in front of her, her chin hovering over her chest. "I just thought you might be hungry." Glancing up at the offering before her, Regina cocked an eyebrow at the princess. "It's just a sandwich, Regina. There aren't any poisonous apples or anything."

"No thanks," the mayor refused brusquely, diving back into her reading material. "I have to keep working."

"Please, Snow begged. "Just a bite. I'm worried; you haven't eaten anything."

Lowering the book and exhaling loudly, Regina said, "If I eat it, will you leave me alone?" Snow nodded solemnly, which meant Regina only had one choice. Setting the text face-down on the surface, Regina fumbled in the bag for the home-made lunch Snow had so politely, and strangely, brought her. She delicately tore away the saran wrap from the bread, took one bite out of the corner and put it back in the bag. "There. Now you can go." Much to Regina's dismay, Snow never turned for the door. Instead, she lifted the only in the store stool over the counter and put it right where she was standing. Regina tossed her head back in annoyance as Snow made herself comfortable. "I thought we had a deal."

"You know," Snow began quietly, "I... I've been at home going over all of this in my head. I've been trying to think of reasons why you would so willingly leave the man you were destined to be with in order to do all of this- lock yourself in Gold's shop and use all of the magic you have to bring Emma back, especially when she's our daughter. And it's taken me a while, but then I realized that the answer was staring me right in the face."

Acting as though Snow hadn't said anything, Regina swept the floor with her feet as she carried on with her business. "If you've come here just to deliver some riddles, I'm afraid you've wasted your time, much like you're wasting mine."

"It's because of what she said," Snow replied without missing a beat. "Isn't it?" There was a break in Regina's rhythm and for Snow, that was all she needed. Pulling her yellow cardigan closed, she crossed her ankles timidly. "You're not the only one who lost her, you know."

"Excuse me?" Regina retorted.

"We're _all_ struggling. We _all_ want her back. But, Henry is already missing one mother. He can't lose you too."

"He hasn't lost me!" the mayor snarled ferociously. "If Henry needs me, he knows where I am."

Shaking her head, Snow folded her arms over her chest defensively, although she wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and turn off all of the lights. "It's not the same. You won't talk to any of us. You won't let us help you."

"Because there's nothing you can do!" Regina pointed out. "I am the _only_ person in this town who was the power to bring Emma back. You and your Prince can ride around together and beg and plead, use your royal lineage, but that won't fix this. _I_ have to fix this!"

Sliding off of the stool and onto the floor, Snow planted herself firmly in front of Regina. The last time they were this close was back in the Forest when Snow had caught Regina burying her heart. "I know Emma. I know how hard it is for her to trust someone, to let someone in. What she told you that night- it wasn't some spur of the moment confession. And, I think you know that. You know her almost as well as I do because you two are a lot alike. You understand each other." Keeping her eyes locked on Regina's, Snow tapped into her inner bandit and showed no signs of weakness. She observed how haggard Regina looked and how drained she was and she just knew. "My daughter is missing, and the last thing she said was that she loved you." Snow tried not to react when Regina blushed and hid her face with her hair. "We're all relying on you, Regina. Emma is relying on you."

"I know that!" Regina barked uncontrollably. "Don't you think I know that?!"

Snow blinked slowly in an effort to get rid of the tears. "We need her back. David, Neal, Henry and I. We need Emma to come back to us. But I also think," she began when she saw Regina's nostrils flaring, "you need her too." Snow considered the history she shared with Regina; she went over it in her head time and time again. Their story was infamous. Their secrets weren't secrets, but common knowledge amongst this world. Snow White and the Evil Queen, they had a past so full and so twisted, they never imagined they'd end up where they were right now. Sliding off of the stool, Snow planted her feet firmly on the ground. "David and I ruined another family so that we could save our own and it nearly cost us everything we worked for. We would do anything to protect Emma, and we have— at her expense. I would give my life for hers. But you… you don't have to. You don't have to prove anyth-"

"Are you done?" Regina asked sharply, her patience having run out. "Because if so, I have a sheriff a to save."


	3. Chapter 3

Regina wrung her hands over and over again as she paced behind the store counter, the steel dagger resting comfortably on top. After eight weeks, her hair had grown nearly another inch and almost reached the middle of her back. Her dark, brown locks reflected the sunlight that crept in through the windows and bounced back onto the walls. High-heels scuffed against the wooden floors as she dragged her feet across the boards, up and down, up and down. Wearing the same blue dress for the second time that week, Regina anxious put her hands on her hips to avoid breaking them. Mumbling to herself, she went over the last potion she'd made and tried to think of all the reasons that it had failed. She'd done everything the instructions said to do. And she'd tossed in a thread from Emma's red, leather jacket before drinking it; it was supposed to trace Emma's magic.

"A mermaid's scale, the dust of a fairy's wing, a drop of ogre blood…" Regina recited to herself, her eyes closed and her forehead furrowed in concentration. Slamming a closed fist into the side of the glass case, Regina huffed angrily as pieces from the counter clattered beneath her.

"Mom?"

Snapping her head up, Regina glared at the young man coldly before she could stop herself. She'd been so caught up in what she was doing, she never thought that anyone else would be there. Doing her best to soften her features, Regina cleared her throat and addressed her son in a rather gruff manner. "What is it Henry?"

Approaching slowly from the front door, Henry Mills shuffled up to the register in his sweater and jeans. Like his mother, his own hair was starting to look overgrown. Unlike his mother, however, his was unkempt and tangled. "I just wanted to see if…" Taking in the broken glass and spread out ingredients, Henry soon found the answer to his question. "No luck?" Regina shook her head wordlessly. "Maybe you should take a break," he suggested.

"I'm fine."

"But Mom—"

"I said I'm fine!" Regina snapped.

Swallowing hard, Henry took another step closer, "We can't give up yet. There's gotta be something—"

"Don't you think I'm trying?! What do you think I've been doing in here day in and day out?! Having a party?!" Regina roared in frustration. When she saw Henry cringe away from her and the flicker of fear in his eyes, a pang of guilt struck her square in the chest. She was running on 36 hours without a second of sleep. She was tired. She was angry. And she was taking it out on the wrong person. "Henry, I'm sorry," she sighed, bending down to clean up the only mess that could be fixed with magic, and to avoid looking at his hurt expression. Waving a hand over the shattered pieces, she continued to speak, although her words landed on the floor. "I'm doing everything I can." _I'm doing everything I can,_ she repeated to herself for assurance.

When she rose to her full height and summoned the courage to look at her son, Henry had his jaw set and his eyes filled with determination. "I know you are, Mom." Before leaving to go back to the Charmings' apartment, Henry puffed out his chest ever-so-slightly and said, "We're gonna find her. We have to."

Regina watched as the child she shared with the Savior walked away. She wanted to stop him, to hug him, to hold him, and to promise him that everything was going to be ok. She wanted to promise him that they would find Emma and that they'd bring her back to Storybrooke, and everybody would live happily every after. She wanted Henry to be happy. Regina wanted a lot of things. But most importantly, in that moment, Regina just wanted the potion to work.

Dumping out the previous batch of purple liquid, Regina re-read the instructions and started from scratch. "A mermaid's scale," she murmured to herself. "Dust of a fairy's wing. Drop of an ogre's blood. Ashes from a dragon's fire. Object containing the intended's magic." Tossing in the other half of the red thread, Regina leaned away and braced herself. One poof and two clouds of smoke later, she lifted the ladle out of the cauldron and let it stop smoking before drinking it. She tried not gag as the burning soup passed her throat. Nothing happened. She was still in Gold's shop. And Emma wasn't there. "Dammit!" she growled as set the page on fire.

"The problem is not the ingredients," a weak, ominous voice offered. "The problem is that you are not focused." Curling back her upper lip, Regina spun on her heels and conjured a fireball, ready to be thrown at the limping wizard. "Careful, dearie," Rumplestiltskin said, wagging a finger. "Remember: I am unarmed."

Keeping her guard up, Regina dismissed the old man's heeding. "You seem to be confusing defenselessness with innocence. Give me one good reason I shouldn't roast you alive right now," she threatened.

Twirling his hand about and gesturing to the room, Gold hobbled towards Regina slowly. "You've been in my shop for months now, all the while I've been living in the back room. If you'd wanted to kill me, you would have done it by now."

"What makes you so certain I haven't kept you alive on purpose?" Regina remarked.

"Because, dearie," the Former Dark one sighed, "you need me. More importantly, you need what I know."

Regina and Rumplestiltskin proceeded to engage in what was possibly the longest staring contest in history. And in the end, Regina surrendered; she extinguished the fire in her palm, although she was still on red alert. "Talk," she commanded.

In no rush whatsoever, Gold staggered up to the mess of the potion Regina had attempted to make. He examined what she'd used and how much, if she'd skipped any steps. Seeing as she had been one of his best students, he wasn't surprised to find that she'd done everything right. "Do you remember the first rule of magic?"

"I don't have time for games, you washed up sorcerer," Regina snarled.

"That right there is precisely why you continue to come up short." Making his way to the nearest chair, past the woman's impatient sneer, Rumplestiltskin rested his leg and straightened his tie. "You're rushing, Regina. You're thinking too much, so much you're missing the bigger picture."

"No, what I'm 'missing' is power. My magic isn't enough. If it were, I would have found her by now."

"Have you given any thought as why is it so important that you find Ms. Swan?" Gold asked. Ever since he'd returned to his former state, he'd spent his days locked up in the back room, absolutely terrified of the outside world. He'd wronged so many people, he'd taken so many lives. He was petrified to go out and face all of the enemies he was sure he had, especially after what he'd done.

Utterly flustered at the sudden and blunt question, Regina waved off Gold's interest. "She's Henry's mother."

"So are you," Gold countered swiftly. "As I understand it, you two had finally ceased your childish ways."

Turning away from her former teacher, Regina fumbled with the materials on the counter. "If you're implying that Ms. Swan and I—"

"I'm not implying anything, dearie. I'm simply trying to help."

"Yes, well, thanks but no thanks. I don't want your help," said Regina.

Tilting his head, Gold watched the Queen with a quizzical expression. He noted the way her hands trembled as she turned the pages of the book, the way she scanned the entries but never really read them. This wasn't the champion he'd molded. This was desperation. And it was dangerous. "What's your plan?" he asked, hoping to still teach Regina something. "If you find Ms. Swan and somehow, she's still alive, what are you going to do then?"

Regina winced at Gold's words "still alive," although she tried to hide it. She had every intention of bringing Emma back in one piece with her heart still beating. "Whatever it takes to get that thing out of her," she replied.

"I see," Gold nodded, unconvinced. "How are you going to do that, exactly? Say 'please' and give her the keys to your car? And what if she doesn't wish to return? What if Ms. Swan chooses to stay where she is?"

Regina stopped flipping through the book, but quickly shook it off. She wasn't going to let Gold get to her. Not anymore. He had no more power over her, let alone anyone else. There was no way he could get inside of her head. "Emma belongs here, with her family."

"With you?" Gold inquired.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Regina shot.

Gripping the golden handle to his cane, Rumplestiltskin ground his teeth as he walked up to Regina. He planted himself right across from her, right where Henry had been just minutes before. He may have been a coward, but he wasn't stupid. He knew what he was doing. "Regina, listen to me. There is no amount of magic that can prepare you for what you will see. She may look like Ms. Swan, she may sound like Ms. Swan, but the Emma you knew is gone. It's been two months since the Darkness has captured her— two months since the light in her soul has been wiped out. Pure darkness feeds off of its host. You become your own worst enemy. Your thoughts are no longer your own; your heart no longer beats for you, but for the Darkness. There is no way you can escape it. It owns you, Regina. You _are_ the Darkness."

Regina's blood had begun to boil. Her face lost all of its color, her palms became clammy, her knees started to shake, and her temper was getting harder to control. "Why are you telling me this?"

"To warn you," Gold said simply, backing up and giving Regina the space she needed. "I believe you will find Ms. Swan. However, I also believe you lack the strength to do what needs to be done." As far as compliments go, this was the highest anyone had ever and would ever receive from Rumplestiltskin. "Now," he said quietly as he buttoned the front of his jacket, "what is the first rule of magic?"

Regina started wringing her hands again and she stared down at her white knuckles. She thought back to the first lesson she'd ever had with that green imp, the fear and the anxiety she'd been filled with. The legends of the Dark One had been mighty and as much as Regina had longed to learn the craft, the terror Gold had incited in her had been even mightier. But then, that was just it, wasn't it?

Slowly turned to face the wise, yet still naive old man, Regina found the ability within herself to meet his gaze. "Magic is emotion."

"Magic is emotion," Rumplestiltskin repeated. "It doesn't come from here," he poked the side of his head repeatedly. "It comes from here," he held his hand to his chest. "It isn't enough to stir the pot and say the words, dearie. You have to _want_ it." Giving her the nudge she needed, Gold motioned to the objects before him. "You know what to do, Regina. So do it."

Peering down at the materials she'd spread out earlier that morning, it hit Regina that she didn't need them. She'd been going about everything all wrong. It wasn't a potion or a spell that would bring Emma back, but the one item the Dark One feared the most. She'd tried it numerous times before, but she'd lacked one key element. Now that she had it, this had to work.

Regina's heart was racing a mile and second and she was starting to lose her nerve. Everything that Gold told her made sense, she knew it did. As much as she wanted to deny it, he was right. Magic was nothing more than emotion. Anyone could lift up a wand or recite a charm, but not everyone could do what Regina had done. She was a powerful sorceress, but more importantly, she was a powerful _human_. She could do, and had done, anything that she wanted. This was no different.

Curling her fingers around the hilt of the dagger, Regina held it up in front of her and stared straight at the name inscribed in the metal. Around it she saw her own reflection and she was startled. She hardly recognized herself anymore. This is what magic did to her. But, as Regina looked at the engraved name, she knew she'd done what she had to.

With a deep sigh, and a final, terse nod to Gold, Regina parted her lips. "Emma Swan," she said. "Emma Swan. Emma Swan." On the third round, Regina felt herself being sucked through a portal, dragged by the ankles and into a world of darkness.

* * *

Regina landed with a hard thud, right on her bottom. It'd worked. Summoning the Dark One had worked! At least, that's what Regina was hoping. She was hoping that it hadn't taken her to a random motel room or or something just as disgusting and tasteless; normally the Dark One appeared wherever it was being summoned, but Regina wasn't going to run on a technicality. Grappling to her feet, Regina stood in the center of a dimly-lit room. She waited for the spinning to stop before she attempted to gather her bearings.

Surveying the environment around her, Regina took in everything. As if she were preparing as statement for the police, she absorbed every inch and every detail and stored it in the back of her mind. The white-painted walls were chipped and water-stained. The carpet on the floor had been torn apart some time before and the tile underneath had missing pieces. Aside from the stench of mildew, there was a faint scent of sulfur that hung in the air.

Regina roamed through the empty corridors and searched the other rooms, all of which were just as vacant as the one she'd come to consciousness in and all of which were just as condemnable. There were two bathrooms in the space, both appeared to have been war zones. Regina squinted hard to get a better look at the walls; on some of them, there were faint patterns in what appeared to be marker. They were faded by now, but some were still legible. One of them looked like a giraffe; another resembled a snake. The further she got into this mystery place, the more she wondered if the dagger had actually done what it was meant to do.

Regina used her cellphone to guide her down the staircase and onto the ground floor. There was a rustling somewhere nearby. Regina spun in a circle, the light illuminating yet another hallway. There were two rooms at the end of the corridor. Regina explored the one on the right first. She opened the closet door without hesitation, stuck her head inside, and when she found it to be bare, she moved onto the next.

As soon as Regina crossed the threshold, she felt the air shift. Turning up the brightness on her phone, Regina sucked in a breath as she entered the room. There were six cribs, three lined against both walls, all broken. The pieces to the sets laid on the ground as if they'd been trampled by a stampede. The railings had been snapped in half and the headboard were nothing more than planks of wood. Much like the walls, the paint had been splintered and most of it was faded. Rags that looked as though they might have once been sheets and blankets were tossed around everywhere, some of which had stitchings on them.

Before Regina could get too caught up in the embroidery, she heard it again: the rustling. As she moved to shine the light in the direction, her phone died and left her standing in the darkness. Lifting the hand that wasn't occupied by the dagger, Regina conjured a small ball of white light and held it above her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of something moving under the rubble; there were streaks of blonde and vague sounds of heavy breathing.

Stepping over the piles of debris, navigating through the maze that was once a nursery, Regina kicked away everything that stood in the way of her and the woman under the destruction. Using magic as her shovel, the Queen dug out the Savior from beneath all of the filth. What Regina saw curled up under the wreckage was not the Savior at all, but a crumpled form with dirtied hair, ripped clothes, and dark, emotionless eyes. 10 pounds slimmer and about 100 years older, the stranger before Regina had her arms wrapped around her knees and her legs hugged to her chest. She rocked back and forth, back and back, back and forth, all the while incoherently muttering something to herself.

Slightly afraid, but mostly concerned, Regina knelt down on one knee and reached out to the being in fetal position. "Emma?"

* * *

 **A/N -** Hey! I hope you're all enjoying this so far. Thank you so much for the reviews you've left. As I mentioned earlier, I don't really see this as going on for very long, not like the other two stories I've been working on. I just couldn't get this out of my head and I really wanted to see where I could take it. Anyway, thanks again! I'll be back soon!


	4. Chapter 4

"Emma?" Regina was on her hands and knees, never minding the rusted nails and slivers of wood. With the stealth of a cheetah, the brunette crawled up to the cowering blonde cautiously. Having put her cellphone away, Regina navigated by intuition; she felt her way towards Emma and she listened to the woman's uneven breaths. Keeping her gaze on the silhouette of the Savior, the Queen outstretched a steady hand and reached for Emma's shoulder.

Without warning, the sheriff swatted at Regina and shoved her away, sending her flying across the room. There'd been a split second of red light surrounding Regina and although it'd disappeared instantly, Emma had felt the tugging in her gut— a dirty feeling prickling over her skin. "Stay away!" she demanded hoarsely, burying her head beneath her arms.

Wrestling with the ground and gathering to her feet once again, Regina wiped away the blood that trickled down her thigh and dried it on her skirt. There was a burning somewhere on her other leg, but she ignored it and set her sights for Emma once again. "Emma, where are we?" she asked warily.

Even in the darkness, Emma could see the large gash in Regina's calf; she could smell the metallic substance oozing from the wound. Ever since she'd woken up in this God-forsaken place, her senses had been on overdrive. She could hear everything. She could see things no one else had the ability to see. She could hear the wind blowing even with all of the windows shut. Everything was magnified. She couldn't make it stop.

Vaguely aware that Regina was still there, Emma listened as the woman snapped her fingers to get her attention. Regina kept repeating the same question over and over again, her voice never changing in inflection and her tone never softening. Lifting her head and letting it hit the wall behind her, Emma stared out of the window and up at the starless sky— the same sky she'd been watching for nearly nine weeks. "No one wanted me," she mumbled lifelessly.

Still standing above Emma, a position that made her feel as if she had control over the situation, Regina craned her neck to try and see what Emma was looking at. But there was nothing. No moon. No stars. Not even a tree with branches to obstruct the landscape. It was empty. "What?" Regina questioned, hissing quietly as she lost more blood.

"Everyone else got out except for me. No one wanted me," Emma repeated, as if she were in a trance.

Suddenly, Regina understood. Slowly, she turned in a circle and carefully surveyed the damaged room. The faded blankets that had been covered in dust and mold did in fact have designs on them; they were baby blankets, made to comfort the child underneath the warm cloth. It hit Regina where they were, where Emma had been taken— where'd she'd been trapped all this time. "The orphanage," she murmured dazedly.

"Kids came and went like it was fucking school or something. They arrived with nothing and they left with a family," Emma recalled bitterly. Her hands folded in her lap, her knees were still propped up before her. She cracked her knuckles without flinching, unable to redirect her memories. "I was a _good_ kid," she said defensively. "I never stole, I never lied. I always did my chores, I followed directions. But it was never good enough. _I_ was never good enough."

Regina could just barely make out the quaking in Emma's words. There was a clear and present instability to the blonde, an invisible time bomb strapped to her chest. She'd been alone for so long, she'd almost forgotten what it was like to have company. In the beginning, every day hurt. It hurt like a pile of bricks being dumped onto her one by one. Every day that she woke up, alone and still ensnared in the Darkness, was another day she spent without any air. She was suffocating. The Darkness was sucking the life out of her. The longer she went without any human contact, the easier it was to give herself over to the Forces inside of her. Without a fight, it was as if the Darkness had already won. Emma had given up. She'd given in. And Regina could see it.

Tuning out the pain the best she could, Regina cleared her mind and made a decision. Honing all of the tenacity she had left, the Evil Queen stomped up to the fallen Savior and swiftly grabbed her elbow. Regina gave Emma a harsh tug and said, "Come on. We're leaving. We're getting you out of here."

"I said stay away!" Overpowered by the voice inside of her head, Emma used both hands to throw Regina against the wall, without ever getting up. A cloud of red smoke pinned Regina to the brown-stained surface, tying her wrists together in invisible shackles. "I don't want to hurt you," Emma warned, "but I will if you make me."

Eventually, the smoke drifted away, but Regina was still stuck. She yanked on the binds, but it was no use. She couldn't move. "Dammit Swan!" she huffed, flipping her hair out of her face. "This is ridiculous! Let me go!" In all of the excitement, Regina hadn't realized she'd dropped the dagger. That is, until Emma tore herself away from the spot she'd spent days huddled in and wielded it, examining it like a new toy. Regina watched as the reflection glinted in Emma's eyes— her black, vacant eyes. "Emma?" she asked, somewhat frightened.

Running the pad of her finger across one of the edges, Emma stopped with she reached the tip. Applying just a smidgen of pressure, she never winced once as she pierced her skin. Instead, she held it up in front of her and observed the tiny hole as if she'd never seen herself bleeding before. Down the singular drop fell, along her finger and into the middle of her palm. "I don't feel pain anymore," Emma informed casually, shifting her grip to the hilt of the dagger. "I don't feel anything."

Regina flared her nostrils in anticipation, still struggling to break free of her restraints. Hovering less than a foot above the ground, she wriggled helplessly and frantically. This wasn't Emma's magic: it was the Dark One's. Regina was strong, she could use her own powers to fight through Emma's. But, she wasn't strong enough to fight Its. "Emma, listen to me," Regina grunted, "we have to go. Henry. Your parents. They're all there in Storybrooke. They've been looking for you. They've been worried about you."

There was a flicker of green in Emma's eyes and Regina knew that to be the Savior battling from the inside. But, just as quickly as it had appeared, that flicker of green was replaced by black— a cold, unfeeling, soulless black. "You're lying," Emma spat. "No one's waiting for me. They're glad I'm gone."

"No, no they're not!" Regina tried to convince. "They're devastated!"

With a dark scoff, Emma turned away and started for the window, still clutching the dagger. "You know, I used to stand at this window every night and stare up at the sky and wonder what had happened. I thought it was something I'd done. I was convinced it was my fault. But then, I remembered that I was just a baby and I figured it had to be something else. There had to be another reason why my parents would give me up, send me away to this place."

Closing her eyes, Regina bowed her head in shame. She took a moment to pause her writhing and clenched her jaw tightly. "It wasn't you, Emma. It was my fault. They sent you here because of me."

Emma glanced over her shoulder and glowered at her severely. They'd settled this a long time ago; there was no need to rehash the past. Emma had let it go. But the voice in her head— she couldn't convince it. She couldn't stop it. Before she realized what she was going, Emma flew towards Regina like a bat out of hell, snatched her hand, and slit her palm with the dagger. Emma felt a relief of tension in her shoulders, but she didn't like it. She watched as Regina bled out from yet another wound she'd inflicted and she wanted to apologize, but the Darkness wouldn't let her. "Don't make me do it again," Emma said, more to the Dark One than to Regina.

"Ok," Regina panted, grimacing through the agony. "I deserved that. There. Look. You got it out of your system. Now release me so we can go!" She gave the magical handcuffs a brutal shake, but they never broke. They never even shifted. In fact, the unseen Forces tightened around her slim wrists and ankles, like a snake squeezing its prey.

Kicking away some of the debris, Emma made a path for herself. This way, she could pace without anything in her way. "I've never done anything right in my entire life. I couldn't get adopted. I got sent to juvie, got knocked up, did the kid the same way my parents did me. I chased after frauds for a living. I always paid my rent the day after it was due. Even when Henry found me and took me to Storybrooke, all it did was make things worse."

"No!" Regina cut in, shaking her head fervently. "You're wrong! You made things better!"

"Yeah, right," Emma mocked. "Do you realize how many people have died since I came to town? How many lives have been destroyed because of me? Because I'm some 'Savior?'"

"A lot less than if Henry hadn't brought you," Regina pointed out.

"Only because everyone else had to clean up my mess. Graham, Neal, Marian— they're all dead. I killed them." Letting her curls fall over her face, Emma's lips formed a tight line while her forehead creased and her eyebrows pinched together. She held the dagger at her side and in a strange way, it comforted her. She had all the power in the world, and yet, the dagger made her feel stronger.

Balling her hands into fists, although it hurt like hell, Regina cleared her throat loudly. " _I_ killed Graham, Emma. Not you. Me. Neal? He sacrificed his life for his father, to give him and _you_ your best chance at a normal life. And Marian? She wasn't alive to begin with. You remember: _I_ took her life. _You_ saved it." Regina was starting to lose sensation in her leg and hand as she lost more blood. The room around her began to blur and for a second, she saw two Emmas instead of just one. Her mouth was dry and her tongue was swelling; she must've bitten it when she fell. Talking was becoming a rather difficult task.

Still unable to listen to reason, Emma stopped pacing just long enough to get a good look at Regina. The brunette was having some trouble, that much was apparent. She was a lot less put-together than usual. Her shirt looked like it hadn't been ironed in weeks and her skirt had a coffee stain at the hem. Regina never left the house unless her clothes were wrinkle-less and cleaner than a whistle.

"You shouldn't have come here," Emma said ruefully.

"I didn't have a choice. You belong in Storybrooke. You belong with your family." Regina thought that if she recited the same thing she'd said to Gold, but with more conviction, she wouldn't sound as full-of-it. Risking Emma's lie-detecter was a risk she was willing to take.

"No," Emma grumbled, refusing to believe a word Regina had said; the Dark One wouldn't allow her. Like a vacuum, it inhaled humanity bit by bit, leaving very little remaining. "I can't go back there. Everything I do— I always screw things up!"

Doing her best to off-balance the Darkness with her own magic, Regina managed to remain conscious just a little longer. "That's not true! You're the only reason any of us are still here, Emma! You have to believe that!" Emma covered her ears and shook her head like a child. "You haven't screwed Henry up. He's a hero now, just like you. He and your parents have done everything they can to find you! They miss you! They love you!"

"They abandoned me!" Emma shrieked. "They shipped me off like some package they couldn't care less about. They left me to rot!"

"You know that isn't what happened. That's the Darkness talking, Emma. That's not you."

"No, you don't understand! You don't what it's like to be unwanted!"

"But I do," Regina reassured. "I know what is to be terrified to make a connection, to open yourself up to someone because you know that someday, they might just hurt you. I know what it's like to be afraid to love someone because you don't want to lose them."

"Shut up," Emma commanded, her ears still covered.

Swallowing hard, Regina knew Emma was still in there somewhere. She still had time. "Emma, listen to me. I know how it feels to have everyone look at you like you're a monster, like you're different. You said that's was what made us unique. You said that's made us special."

"Stop talking!"

Under normal circumstances, Regina would've stomped her foot with her hands on her hips. She would've given Emma her signature grimace and pursed her lips together the way she did when she was about to say something she was sure she'd regret. If she weren't trapped by the Dark One's magic, Regina would have pulled Emma into her arms and made her look her in the eyes. But, seeing as how none of this applied and Regina was, in fact, trapped by the Dark One's magic, all she could do was speak loudly and clearly. Without giving it a second thought, the brunette summoned all of the strength she had to stand up against the Dark One alone. "You don't want to go home because you're scared that nothing has changed. You don't want to believe that there are people who want you— that could love you. But there are and they do!" Gritting her teeth, Emma banged her hands against the wall, as if begging for someone to rescue her. "The Darkness knows that. It knows your fears; it's feeding off of them."

"Get out of my head, get out of my head, get out of my head," Emma repeated. Whether she was aiming it towards Regina or the Dark One was unclear.

Her leg now covered in blood and her hand damp, Regina didn't stop. She couldn't. "You have to fight it, Emma. You have to remember who you are."

"No," Emma grumbled. "Gah!"

"You can do this! I know you can!"

"Stop it!" the Savior cried, now beating the sides of her head, fighting the darkness from within.

"You have family in Storybrooke, Emma. _You have people_. You aren't a child anymore! Henry wants you! Your parents want you!" Regina said. Emma moaned and groaned as she tussled with the darkness; it burned her insides, it crushed her bones. It sent shivers down her spine and goosebumps along the back of her neck. The Forces trampled Emma and controlled her every movement. Inhaling as deeply as she could, Regina added, "I want you!"

"I SAID STOP!" Unable to contain the Darkness any longer, Emma's hand shot out from her side, the pointed dagger aimed straight out in front of her. Lifting her gaze from upon her shoes, the blonde slowly felt her heart skip a beat as she saw what she'd done. Her eyes glossed over somewhat and the color in her cheeks flushing, Regina sputtered uncontrollably, blood trickling out of her mouth. She and Emma peered down at the dagger protruding from her abdomen, all sensation in the rest of her body gone. "Regina?" Emma whispered.

Just like that, the Dark One's magic released Regina and let her tumble into a folded heap. Emma caught Regina's head before it could hit the ground, horrified at what she'd been possessed to do. The brunette's shoulders began to shake and the rest of her form convulsed violently as she bled out onto the uneven surface. "Emma," Regina rasped, still fighting even though she didn't have any left. "You can beat this," she said with an extra breath between each word. "You… are the… Savior. I… believe in you." She reached out for Emma's hand once again, this time thankful that she didn't pull away. She relished in the warmth from Emma's touch and found solace in the idea that it would be the last thing she remembered before dying. With every ounce of oxygen she had in her lungs, Regina looked up at Emma and smiled weakly when she saw the familiar green eyes staring back at her. "I'm sorry," were her last words.

Eventually, Regina's heartbeat slowed in pace and came to a halt. Her breathing went shallow until Emma could no longer hear it. Emma's fingers were still curled around Regina's, but her skin was starting to turn cold. "Regina?!" Emma begged, tears streaming down her face. "Regina wake up!"

Like that night several months before, a gust of wind picked up around the women. Emma's hands flew to her throat as she struggled for air. One by one, black cords expelled from her body as the Forces shot their way out of her. The ties that bound her to the Dark One were somehow broken. Like a knife through a fishing net, their connections to Emma were severed, prevented from ever latching on again. Soon, her head cleared up and that wicked voice vanished. The Darkness was no longer bound to the blonde; it had no host. There was no one else around for miles around. It had no way to escape.

Keeping a close distance to Regina, Emma prepared for one last battle. Rising to her full height, she tapped into every emotion she had— anger, hurt, grief, despair, confusion— and concentrated on the center of the Darkness, the core to the Dark One. Gathering from every limb and every muscle, white light spread from Emma's fingertips and shot towards the black Forces. Emma faltered, but stayed planted right where she was. With all of her power focused on the Darkness, she shrank back as the Forces exploded and dissolved into nothingness. Emma spun in a circle like a dog chasing its tail, searching for any sign of the Dark One. But she knew it was gone. She'd felt it right away. Once someone felt the Force inside of them, they never forget it. It would seem that the Sorcerer was not needed after all.

Rushing back to Regina's side, Emma lifted the limp woman into her arms and cradled her gingerly. There was too much damage to her system, too much blood lost. The only time Emma had ever healed someone, they were still alive.

"Regina!" Emma wept, her own face soaked in tears. "Regina, please," she begged helplessly. "I'm sorry. Please, come back to me to." Emma's chest was nothing more than an empty cavity. With the Darkness out of her, she could feel again— she could feel everything. It was as if someone had driven a burning blade four-inches thick straight into her chest and and turned it to the side. She hurt now more than when the Forces exited her body. There was nothing in this world that compared to the pain Emma experienced as she held Regina's uninhibited corpse close to her.

Tired and weak, Emma leaned down and pressed her lips against Regina's forehead. She stayed there for a few seconds, not wanting to break away just yet. When she was ready, she grazed Regina's cheek with the back of her hand and whispered in her ear, "I love you."

Just as it had so many times before, True Love's Kiss rattled the abandoned home Emma and Regina occupied. A bright, yellow light sprouted from their contact and radiated outwards like a sonic boom, washing over everything within a five mile radius. Regina's injuries healed on their own and the heat returned to her body; she was warm to the touch.

Shooting up into a sitting position, Regina gasped loudly as her system turned back on. Her eyes wide open, she blinked rapidly and looked up at the figure above her. "Emma?" There was a moment of panic as Regina feared that she had failed. But then, she wouldn't be alive again if she hadn't succeeded. Glancing over the blonde woman, Regina cupped Emma's cheeks and peered into those green eyes— Emma was back. With all of the passion that had been bubbling inside of her since the day Emma disappeared, Regina pulled the sheriff towards her and their lips collided together like a wave upon a seashore. And finally, Regina could breathe again, not just literally. Feeling Emma under her, hearing her heart beating, and seeing her smile, Regina had found her life source. With another tender kiss, the Queen locked eyes with the Savior and pressed their foreheads together. In this very moment, Regina knew her work had paid off; she knew that this was her happy ending. With the very breath that Emma had returned to her, Regina spoke softly and adoringly and said, "I love you too."

* * *

 **A/N** \- I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter of this short fic! As much as I would love to see where else this could go, I'm sorry to report that this is the last chapter. Finding Emma was the goal, and now that Regina's done that and so much more, the story has ended. Our favorite ladies are together. Thank you for all of the follows/favorites and the reviews. I wish I could continue, but I don't think I'd be able to do it justice. I am, however, going to return to "Universe  & U" and "Fool for You." So, I hope you all stick around for those! Also, for those who have asked, my Tumblr url is "isupersheng." I accept prompts through there and on this site! Thanks and I'll be back later!


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